Thursday, April 30, 2015

Tips If Your Apple Watch Digital Crown Feels Sticky

Some users have started reporting problems that the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch feels sticky or gets stuck when rotating or pressing it. Some people speculate that it may be sweat, but Apple calls it debris. Either way, Apple recommends cleaning it with water.
If the Digital Crown gets stuck or won’t move, it might be because of dirt or debris. If you find substances like dust or lotion around the Digital Crown, follow these steps to clean, and repeat as needed: 
1. Turn off your Apple Watch and remove it from the charger. 
2. If you have a leather band, remove it from your Apple Watch. 
3. Hold the Digital Crown under lightly running, warm, fresh water from a faucet for 10 to 15 seconds. Soaps and other cleaning products shouldn't be used
4. Continuously turn and press the Digital Crown as water runs over the small gap between the crown and the housing. 
5. Dry your Apple Watch with a non-abrasive, lint-free cleaning cloth. 
Most affected people have an Apple Watch Sport, but some have a regular Apple Watch (Stainless Steel). Given this and the report of a person's Apple Watch band locking mechanism failing (causing the watch to fall off his wrist), I highly recommend buying Apple Care+ for your Apple Watch. It's much cheaper than other Apple Care and may just save you in the long run.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Taptic Engine to Blame for Apple Watch Delays

According to The Wall Street Journal, a faulty batch of Taptic Engines are to blame for the delays in Apple Watch shipments. The Taptic Engine is a new component that makes a vibration similar to the feeling of being taped on the wrist.
"After mass production began in February, reliability testing revealed that some taptic engines supplied by AAC Technologies Holdings Inc., of Shenzhen, China, started to break down over time, the people familiar with the matter said. One of those people said Apple scrapped some completed watches as a result."
Essentially, Apple is switching suppliers, but this can take a while to do. Hopefully, we'll get better delivery estimates in the near future.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Day One Apple Watch App (And Why It's Important)

By far, one of my favorite apps is Day One. It's a beautiful journal app that has been given every app award there is, and for good reason. Now, it has support for Apple Watch, and it may have inadvertently solved one of the biggest elements that keeps people from writing. At least for me, I find myself not able to write because I don't have time, I'm not in a situation where I can sit down and write (i.e. an amusement park), or because I'm having writer's block. Those factors alone are about 98% of my life. The Apple Watch app solves this by allowing you to quickly enter any combination of a location, photo, and a quick text entry into your journal. This pretty much solves these problems. You can do it in a line for a rollercoaster, at a dinner, or where ever. Anyways, props to Bloom Built for that! You can download the iOS version of Day One for $4.99 [Direct Link].

Monday, April 27, 2015

Take a Screenshot on Apple Watch

For my first tip on the Apple Watch, I'll be teaching you how to take a screenshot on your Apple Watch. It's very similar to taking a screenshot on an iOS device. Just press the Digital Crown and the button below/above (depending on your handedness) at the same time. The screenshot will also be available on your iPhone and other iCloud devices.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Donate Through iTunes to Nepal Earthquake Relief Efforts

If you would like to donate to the Nepal earthquake relief efforts, you can do so using iTunes. 100% of your donation is donated to the American Red Cross. In addition, since your information is not provided to the American Red Cross, you won't get any telemarketing calls from them. My condolences to the victims and the families of the victims of this natural disaster.


Saturday, April 25, 2015

Amazon Apple Watch App

If you like shopping on Amazon like me, then the Amazon app for Apple Watch is for you! If you ever need a quick reminder to buy something, like chips, just open the app and say "chips." You can add it to your wish list, cart, or buy it.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Apple Watch App Store

Yesterday, the Apple Watch App Store debuted with quite possibly more apps than users, like the Windows Phone. Of course, that's not to say that the Apple Watch isn't popular, but that it's very popular to the point of selling out for months, like an amiibo. Anyways the store is available now and all you must do to access it, Apple Watch in wrist or not, is to update your iPhone to iOS 8.2, open the Apple Watch app, and tap "App Store," "Featured," or "Search" in the tabs.


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Uber Apple Watch App

If you use Uber a lot, or you're planning a trip to New York City, you should definitely check out Uber's latest update. It adds Apple Watch support. Now you can request a ride from your wrist, quickly and easily. You also get updates right from your wrist. You can get the iPhone version of Uber from the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Apple Honors Earth Day: 2015

Once again, Apple has colored the leaves of their Apple logos at retail stores green in honor of Earth Day, a day dedicated to keeping the earth a clean place. Apple is known for being a green company and now has 100% of its U.S. operations and 87% of its global operations running on renewable energy.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Apple Watch Sport's Ion-X Glass Put To The Test

Much like the bending of the iPhone 6 Plus, Unbox Therapy will subject the Apple Watch Sport to a "torture test" to test it's durability. It's Ion-X Glass Display was subjected to a key, a knife, steel wool, and sandpaper. The sandpaper won, showing that the Apple Watch Sport will be damaged under extreme conditions.

(Skip to 2:30 for tests)

Monday, April 20, 2015

Apple Watch Pre-Orders Preparing for Shipment

If you were one of the first people to pre-order the Apple Watch on April 10, your Apple Watch is preparing to ship. Your card has been charged as well. Your Apple Watch will come in the following days, depending on your shipping method. If you got your Apple Watch after the chaos, your order still is in processing. We can only hope that the next wave will ship much faster.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Scott Forstall and Snapchat

Since being fired from Apple in 2012, Scott Forstall has gone off the radar. But he has helped out some startups, according to TechCrunch. One of these was Snapchat, a popular social network. He also owns .11% of Snapchat's stock.


Saturday, April 18, 2015

SPG Apple Watch App

If you go to a Starwood hotel or resort, you can use your Apple Watch to unlock your room. Next time your phone messes up your room key, just use your wrist. You can also get directions to hotels, check in, see reservation details, and check your reward points. If you go traveling this summer, be sure to find out if your hotel is a Starwood hotel.


Friday, April 17, 2015

Target Apple Watch App

One of my favorite apps for Apple Watch is the Apple Watch app. The best feature is how it lets you search for an item and find what aisle it's in your store. It's a very handy feature requiring very little thought. Welcome to the future. Anyways, if you get an Apple Watch, be sure to get the Target app for Apple Watch.


Thursday, April 16, 2015

Yelp Updated for Apple Watch

If you like to go out to restaurants or try new food often, Yelp has a great new update! It now has Apple Watch support. It lets you find restaurants, see their rating, price range, address, and their hours. With Handoff, you can make a seamless transition from your wrist to your hand and pick off where you left off. Now you can write reviews from your iPhone or use other iPhone operations. Yelp for Apple Watch is available via an update to the iPhone version of the app for free [Direct Link].

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Apple Watch Pre-Orders Exceed 2 Million

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, global Apple Watch pre-orders have exceeded 2.3 million. This is exemplified by the fact that all Apple Watch models are sold out, not available in stores, and that they are backordered for months. This has been a hectic rollout for Apple, but as evidenced by previous endeavors with the iPhone and official statements, we can expect these shipping times to improve significantly over the next weeks.
"We estimate production of Apple Watch around 2.3mn units in March-May. Mass production of Apple Watch began in March and will likely reach 2.3mn by end of May. Considering that most consumers who preordered will not get the device until June, we estimate global preorders of over 2.3mn units, with Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition representing a respective order allocation of 85%, 15% and less than 1%."
- Ming-Chi Kuo 

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

1Password Updated For Apple Watch

1Password, the app that stores passwords and other private information in a digital vault, got an upgrade today. It now has support for the Apple Watch. This enables you to be able to access important information from your wrist privately. For example, as depicted below, if you're at the gym and lock your iPhone in the locker, and you don't know the combination, just open up 1Password from your Apple Watch, find the combination, and unlock the locker. This has a lot of potential, and I'd like to see other situations this would be useful for. Perhaps at the bank with social security numbers or something? You can get this update with the 1Password Pro upgrade in 1Password for $9.99 (or free if you had 1Password 4) [Direct Link].


Monday, April 13, 2015

Apple Watch Shipping Dates Could Improve

This whole Apple Watch pre-order phase had a bit of a rocky start. My Apple Watch is supposedly coming in June. I really can't blame Apple. With so many different models and combinations, the last thing they'd want to have is a warehouse full of overstock. After all, that's why Microsoft tries to give away Surfaces, which proves that there's nothing more embarrassing than overstock. Nevertheless, the slipping shipping dates on almost every model of the Apple Watch has people worried and anxious. After all, Apple's marketing campaign included the tagline, "The watch is coming. 4.24.15." This suggests that you can get your hands on it on April 24 in an Apple Store or online. Well, you're wrong. You had to pre-order it at midnight on April 10 (without doing a try-on because the stores are closed at midnight). Andrew Turko sent an email to Apple and he got a response via phone call.
"[Apple] said that June preorders will most likely ship sooner than June. Of course he didn't make any promises, but that's the reason Apple is announcing such an extended ship date after all - to avoid disappointment through false guarantees."
- Andrew Turko
So, who knows? Maybe we will see improved shipping times for our pre-orders on the Apple Watch. All I can say is if you have your eye on one, buy it as soon as you can, because at this rate, we might as well wait for a second-generation Apple Watch. 

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Apple Sold 1 Million Apple Watches on April 10

Selling out in 6 hours, the Apple Watch received about a million pre-orders on its first day, according to Slice Intelligence. Apparently, the Apple Watch Sport, with the 42mm Space Gray case, was the most popular of the wearables. The large amount of pre-orders has pushed shipping estimates all the way back to June. Well, looks like my Apple Watch is gonna take a while.


Saturday, April 11, 2015

Try-on Apple Watch Models Still Have Diagnostic Port

With Apple Watches available for try-ons at Apple Stores, customers have had a chance to see what we think is the final model of the Apple Watch before its release. This model still has a diagnostic port that was thought to be removed before its release. I think I have an explanation. At Apple Watch try-ons, the Apple Watch that is worn is deactivated from use. It is a real Apple Watch, but it doesn't allow you to use it. Therefore, I believe the diagnostic port will be removed from the final model.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Apple Watch Try-ons at Palo Alto Apple Store

There was a lot of excitement at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, California. I went there to try-on some Apple Watches. Tim Cook was there and I missed him by about 30 minutes! Anyways, I tried several Apple Watches. They included the 42mm Apple Watch with White Sport Band, 42mm Apple Watch with Black Classic Buckle, 42mm Apple Watch with Light Brown Leather Loop, which is my personal favorite. The sport bands have a surprising texture. It doesn't feel like rubber. If you get a chance, I recommend that you try one out with a sport band. Anyways, that's my take so far. I am so far impressed by these wearables and am very excited. Hopefully can get one before June with all of these crazy shipping times.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Apple Online Store Preparing for Apple Watch Pre-Orders

Tonight at midnight, you can pre-order the Apple Watch, Apple's first wearable. In addition, Apple retail stores will be transformed to show off the Apple Watch. As with most additions to the Apple Online Store, it is down temporarily to accommodate this change. You can pre-order your favorite Apple Watch at 12:01 AM PDT tonight.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

OS X 10.10.3: Photos

OS X 10.10.3 came out today and it comes with a new Photos app. Finally, I can get my iOS photos to my Mac without AirDropping or using iPhoto Photo Stream! With a harsh bidding to iPhoto and Aperture, this update is bitter-sweet. What's nice is that I can get my photos from my iOS device to my Mac onto this blog much faster. In addition, iPhoto Print Products (Books, calendars, and cards) are available in Photos. You can upgrade to OS X 10.10.3 via the Mac App Store.


Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Apple Watch Packaging

Something that I've been particularly curious about is what the packaging for Apple Watch will look like. I've also been wondering if the band and watch will be packaged together or separately. It looks like it will be separate, which is a smart move on Apple's behalf. Anyways, thanks to Jeremy Gan on Instagram.


Image Credit: Jeremy Gan and MacRumors


Monday, April 6, 2015

Apple Watch Spotted on The Voice

If you watch the NBC singing show, The Voice, then maybe you noticed an Apple Watch on Pharrell Williams' wrist. This is its first appearance on television not from someone directly affiliated with Apple. Thanks to Jonathan Shell for the picture.

Image Credit: Jonathan Shell

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Happy Easter 2015!

Hello all! I hope you're enjoying your holiday today. To keep this post geeky, I figured that I would share my Easter gift that I got today. It's an Apple Store Gift Card signed by Steve Wozniak!
"To Alex Baratti
Think Different
Woz"
It comes with a certificate that validates that it's signed by Steve Wozniak. You can see a bunch of other stuff that you can pay him to sign at the official site, SignedByWoz.com.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Apple Adds New Tutorial Video for Apple Watch

Ahead of its release (and pre-order), the Apple Watch now has a tutorial video. It, along with other videos, is available in an all new "Guided Tours" section of the Apple Watch site. They're essential videos, even to veteran iOS users, as the Apple Watch has new elements. The "Digital Crown" on the side is used a lot. A "Force Touch" is used to bring up other options not on the screen. The button on the side may look like a lock button, but it isn't. It quickly brings up your contacts. Raising your wrist is what wakes up Apple Watch, not a button.

Friday, April 3, 2015

AppleCare+ for Apple Watch

With a new Apple device coming out, a new AppleCare product will be released alongside the Apple Watch. Ironically, it has one of the least expensive and most expensive packages of Apple's history with insurance. The Apple Watch Sport can be insured for $59. The Apple Watch will be an additional $79. The Apple Watch Edition will be an additional $999. Apple Watch preorders will start on April 10 and can be purchased on April 24.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Thursday, April 2, 2015

At Least 50% Discounts on Photo and Video Apps

Apple has a special promotion for select photo and video editing apps. These apps include Spark Camera, Camera+, and more. There are 23 discounts in total on the iOS App Store and 12 on the Mac App Store. To get these deals, just open up the App Store on your iOS device or Mac, and find the promotion in the 'Featured' section in the carousel. These price cuts are available until next week.


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Google April Fools' Day 2015!

Today, we saw some interesting April Fools' jokes from Google and other companies (including a friendship Minecraft update), but my personal favorite is the PAC-MAN Google Maps joke. Just open Google Maps on your computer. Navigate to a spot you'd like to play (not all areas supported). Click the PAC-MAN pin on the map, or, if there is no pin available, click PAC-MAN. That's it. You can now play PAC-MAN in Google Maps! No one knows how long this will be up, so you should try playing on it now. Have fun!